“Cole was already explaining a bit about that and how the Foundation funds the pack.”
“Cole was at your meeting with Kyle?” I asked.
“Yes, because there’s more I need to discuss with you besides what pack we’re going to submit to, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Don’t spare my feelings or hold anything back. Do you want to stay here in San Marco, permanently?”
“Yes,” I said, without hesitation. “I’ve always known that someday I’d take a mate and if he was from out of pack that I’d have to follow him, because that’s just what the female does, but I’ve always thought it was stupid and archaic. Why? Even if banishment wasn’t in the picture, why can’t we choose which pack would be best for us?”
“And you think that would have been Westin regardless?”
“You said you wanted complete honesty, so yes. I have a great job here. My family adores you. You were already part of the family before we even officially met. I know it sounds selfish, but you fit perfectly into my world, and I don’t want things to change, but I know it’s not all about me either. We have to consider what’s best for you, too. No, what’s best for us.”
“You have a great job here that you seem to love. You wouldn’t have to give that up if we stayed.”
“No I wouldn’t, but what would you do, Patrick? Would you want to come work at the Foundation? What is it you want to do?”
“Honestly, no one has ever asked me that before. I was raised to be an alpha and that’s never going to happen, but Kyle offered me a job already, and E, it’s pretty damn close. I don’t know if I can turn down this offer.”
My interest piqued. I could see the sparkle in my mate’s eyes and I could feel his excitement. “What? What did he offer?”
“He’s reinstating Betas for Westin. Two of them at least. He said with the Foundation, the baby on the way, and all the added Alpha duties, it’s too much for one person. He hadn’t intended to take over the pack for several more years, and your dad and the Council apparently suggested that it would be the perfect time to consider reinstating the Beta program. He’s asked me and Cole Anderson to take on the duties. It’s not alpha, but it’s leadership and that’s all I’ve ever studied to be. What do you think?”
Chapter 200
I wiped tears from my eyes again. It was perfect. “You could be happy as Beta?” I could see he was barely containing his excitement.
“Yes. It’s more than I could possibly have wished for. If I accept this, we’ll stay in San Marco. He said we could have the cottage for as long as we want, until we decide to build for ourselves. You can keep your job here for as long as you want it. We could have a good life here, E. I discussed it with your dad, too. He feels strongly that the pack will accept me completely. Of course I still worry about the stigma of banishment, but they really went out of their way to try to convince me that wasn’t going to be a problem.”
“It won’t. Not here,” I tried to assure him. There had been a time I had prayed that I would find my mate within Westin Pack, even knowing there wasn’t one single boy of interest for me here. I just didn’t want to leave my home and family, but this, this was even better.
Patrick
I gave Kyle my official acceptance Saturday morning. He was genuinely happy with my answer. He called an immediate meeting of the Council for approval. I had been in Westin territory for long enough that I already knew each of the Council members well. I had joined Saul and Mallick at the Crate for poker night on several occasions and they were itching to win their money back from me.
“Tuesday night, poker night,” Saul informed me.
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